History Players Teams Obituaries Site search Contact UsSponsor a page on Historic Baseball! Click here for detailsEric TiptonEric Gordon TiptonNickname: Blue Devil or DukieBorn: April 20, 1915in Petersburg, Va.Died: August 28,2001Debut: 1939 | Pos: OFH: 5’11” | W: 190 | B: R | T: R YrGABRHHRRBISBBA750116262124392215120.270>> Visit theEric Tipton biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics. After a solid football careerat Duke, including being named All-American, Eric Tipton found limitedsuccess in the major leagues as an outfielder for the Athletics (1939-41)and Reds (1942-45).Tipton played in 501 games in his career, batting .270 with 22 home runs, 212 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. His most productive season came in 1943 with the Reds. He hit .288 with 9 home runs and 49 RBI.As a football player at Duke University, Tipton played for the 1938 team which finished the season undefeated and did not allow any opponent to score. In the final game of that season, playing against Pittsburg, Tipton and his teammates faced a tough challenge as a snowstorm swirled around them. Tipton did his part, punting the ball inside the Pittsburgh 20 yard line an amazing 15 times. Duke won 7-0 to preserve the season.Prior to his death, Tipton had served as a baseball coach at West Point.